Adult Ostara hunt!

When I think of Ostara, I think of eggs.  And when I think of eggs, I think of both decorating them and hunting for them.  Egg hunts are traditional for many families, and something I always loved as a kid.  And even as a not-so-young-kid, I remember one year where we did a traditional egg hunt, but then also flopped it around, and the kids hid eggs for the adults (and older kids) to find. 

Eggs are a symbol of fertility, of bringing an idea into the world and of protection.  The act of hiding and then hunting for eggs can become a sacred quest, a search for the things we are going to nurture and protect, for the things that are going to bless our lives in the coming months! 

When thinking about creating an egg hunt for adults, the first thing that comes to my mind is who will hide the eggs.  Unless you have someone who really doesn't want to go out looking for eggs, you can divide your hunt area into sections, and have one hider designated for each section.  Split the eggs to be hidden among the hiders, and each will hide eggs in their section only.  Then, when it is time to hunt, each hider searches for eggs in any section they didn't hide in.  Even with only two people hiding eggs, each hider should be able to participate in the hunting as well!

Or, you could have someone go out and hide all the eggs, and then when each person hunts, they bring some of their eggs as 'tribute' to the hider.  This method is kind of fun, because the hunter gets to pick what to gift the hider with.  And, if you know you are doing this method before the hunt is scheduled, you can let people know, and hunters can bring their own little thank you gift for the hider!  Encourage small, handmade or natural gifts:  wildflowers, small interesting stones or shells, knotwork jewelry.

Having a singular hider who then takes tribute can also be worked into part of your Sabbat ritual, if you wish.  You could hide the eggs and do the hunt before casting circle, and then have the hider greet each person as they enter the circle, accepting their offering of tribute in return for a blessing (or cleansing!).  Or you could have the hider accept the offerings as part of the main section of ritual, perhaps taking on the role of a deity, like Eostra.

There are plenty of fun options for using real eggs or fake eggs as well, or even a mixture!  Real eggs can be hidden and then consumed after being found, to take in the blessings of the egg.  Using real eggs, you can decorate them to be symbolic of what blessing will be received upon consumption.  These can be decorated with dyes, paints, stickers or other markings.  One method I mentioned in a previous blog, is to mark each egg with a white crayon, to make a symbol or word that remains hidden.  In this case, you would leave the eggs white (though already marked) when you hide them, and after they are found, you could have a dying station, to reveal the hidden message.

It can be fun (and beautiful) to dye eggs with natural dyes.  This can also layer in symbolic meaning, so that the things you use to dye your eggs impart their energy and blessings onto the egg being consumed.  If you are doing a smaller hunt, you can also set aside a number of eggs for the community, turning these eggs into your favorite egg dish:  deviled eggs, egg salad, potato/pasta salad.  Then enjoy them as a group, so that everyone gets to take part in all the blessings!

There are some really lovely options for eggs made of stone or wood.  These might be carved or wood-burnt with designs, or they could be plain.  These eggs can become house or altar decorations.  These can be more pricey, so you may have only a few of these special eggs hidden, for lucky people to find!  If you have only a few of these special eggs, you might ask people to only take one of the special ones, if they happen to find multiples (if they prefer the second special egg they find, they can swap it for the first one, keeping the second and putting the first where the second was found).

Plastic eggs bring their own charms.  The nice thing about plastic eggs is you can put all kinds of things inside them, from the traditional sweet treats to small charms or tokens and even messages.  One neat thing is to make exchange eggs.  Each person can write as short message, something they are working on and would like extra help with.  You con't have to be very specific, it could be "send energy for my health" or "help me bring love into my life."  You can sign your name or leave them anonymous.  When you add an aid message, you will also include a blessing, some token that you have blessed and are offering in exchange for the aid you are requesting.  When someone else finds the egg, they agree to send you energy to help with your work in return for the blessing you have gifted them!

Another really interesting egg hunt theme is to make blessing bags with what you find.  So each egg might contain a bit of herbs, a small stone, a bit of cloth with essential oils dripped on it, or anything else you might put into a spell bag.  It can be helpful to include a small piece of paper, explaining what the ingredient is, especially if you have people attending who are newer (or who are like me...very forgetful!).  Have an assortment of small bags, for people to combine all their hunted components, and at the end of the hunt, people can see what they received, and create a blessing bag!  Sometimes, what we need, we might not think of, and it can be really fun to see what kinds of blessings we might receive, when we aren't asking for specific things.

Egg hunts can be fun and magical, and they don't need to be restricted to children!  Adding an egg hunt to your gathering or ritual can be a new way to experience and celebrate this holiday with your group or family.  Get everyone involved, every step along the way, to create a memory that you will all cherish!